This invention relates to postcards and more particularly to a postcard that is personalized with a picture supplied by the user.
Various envelopes such as window envelopes have been previously proposed for various applications. These envelopes are provided with glued edges, but there is no provision for enabling the end user to seal the envelope without taking additional steps such as licking the flap to moisten the adhesive on the flap. In order to be commercially acceptable for use with a personal photograph it is necessary to find a way of hiding the glue located at the edges of the postcard while simultaneously embellishing the product to enhance its visual appeal. If the postcard is to have the proper feel and stiffness it is desirable to provide a backing sheet having a degree of stiffness and yet find a way of enabling a photo to be mounted in place and the postcard to be easily sealed in spite of stiffness of the backing used in the construction of the postcard. More specifically, during the development of the present invention it was found desirable to find a way of providing access to a self-sealing strip so that it could be easily uncovered for enabling an inserted picture to be totally enclosed by bonding the self-sealing strip to an adjacent surface of the postcard.
One prior postcard product described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,231,833 and 4,914,842 had an adhesive applied to the entire surface of a transparent backing sheet with a protective sheet positioned over it. The entire width and breadth of the postcard was covered with pressure-sensitive adhesive. In addition to the expense of the adhesive, the assembly was complicated. It was necessary to peel a clear backing from a border element, press the product firmly over a photograph, cut around the edges with scissors, next peel the postcard from the adhesive backing and finally place it on the back of the product.
In view of these and other deficiencies of the prior art, it is one object of present invention to provide an improved personalized postcard for holding an inserted photograph that is relatively low in cost, durable in construction and easier to use than prior products.
Another object is to provide a personalized postcard of the type described that can be formed from sheet material with a degree of stiffness and yet enable a self-sealing adhesive surface to be readily exposed and easily uncovered so that a seal can be formed.
Another object of the invention is to find a better, more effective way of surrounding or framing the photograph as well as hiding adhesive that is used to bond the sheets together.
Another object of the invention is to find a way of designing the unit so that the method of use is generally obvious to the user while at the same time minimizing the amount of pressure-sensitive adhesive that is required in its construction.
These and other more detailed object and specific objects of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following figures and detailed description which illustrate by way of example but a few of the various forms of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.